TWI529313B - Hinge structure and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

Pivot module and electronic device

The present invention relates to an electronic device and a pivot module thereof, and more particularly to an electronic device and a pivot module having the same.

Benefiting from advances in semiconductor components and display technology, electronic devices are constantly moving toward small, versatile, and portable devices. Common portable electronic devices include tablet PCs, smart phones, and Notebook computer, etc. Taking a notebook computer as an example, a typical notebook computer is mostly composed of a host computer and a display screen, wherein the host computer and the display screen are pivotally connected to each other through a hinge structure. The user can close the mainframe and display screen of the notebook computer by the relative rotation of the host computer and the display screen for convenient carrying. When the notebook computer is to be used, the display screen is expanded to facilitate operation.

The pivoting structure of many notebook computers is provided with a torsion assembly so that the pivot structure has sufficient torque to fix the deployment angle of the display screen. In order to reliably fix the deployment angle of the display screen, the torque component needs to provide sufficient torque. However, this causes the user to adjust the display angle of the display screen more laboriously, and even needs to press the main body to smoothly pull the display screen. The operation of the notebook is inconvenient.

The invention provides a pivot structure, which can easily adjust the deployment angle of the body of the electronic device and can stably fix the position of the body.

The pivot module of the present invention includes a sliding member, a rotating shaft, a positioning member and an actuator. The slider has a first engaging portion. The rotating shaft has a second engaging portion. The second engaging portion is engaged with the first engaging portion. The positioning member is movably disposed on one side of the sliding member. When the positioning member is in a first position to abut against the sliding member, the positioning member prevents the sliding member from sliding and the rotating shaft is positioned by structural interference between the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion. When the positioning member moves to a second position away from the sliding member, the positioning member releases the sliding member and the rotating shaft is pivotable relative to the sliding member to drive the sliding member to slide by the second engaging portion. The actuator is coupled to the positioning member and configured to drive the positioning member to move between the first position and the second position.

An electronic device includes a first body, a second body, and a pivot module. The pivot module includes a sliding member, a rotating shaft and a positioning member. The sliding member is slidably disposed on the first body and has a first engaging portion. The rotating shaft is fixed to the second body and pivoted to the first body. The rotating shaft has a second engaging portion. The second engaging portion is engaged with the first engaging portion. The positioning member is movably disposed on the first body. When the positioning member is in a first position to abut against the sliding member, the positioning member prevents the sliding member from sliding and the rotating shaft is positioned by structural interference between the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion. When the positioning member moves to a second position away from the sliding member, the positioning member releases the sliding member and the rotating shaft is pivotable relative to the first body to drive the sliding member to slide by the second engaging portion, and the second body is opposite to the first body A body is unfolded or closed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the pivot module further includes an actuator, the actuator is disposed on the first body and coupled to the positioning member, and the actuating member is configured to drive the positioning member to move in the first position and the first Between two locations.

In an embodiment of the invention, the actuator is a motor.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first engaging portion is a rack and the second engaging portion is a gear.

In an embodiment of the invention, the pivot module further includes a guiding member disposed between the sliding member and the actuator and having a guiding thread, wherein the positioning member is screwed by the guiding thread The guide member is configured to drive the positioning member to rotate to move the positioning member between the first position and the second position by guiding the guiding thread.

In an embodiment of the invention, the actuator has a convex portion, and the positioning member has a concave portion, and the convex portion protrudes into the concave portion to be adapted to drive the positioning member to rotate, when the positioning member rotates to guide the thread. When moving in a moving direction, the convex portion and the concave portion relatively move in the moving direction.

In an embodiment of the invention, the slider has a third engaging portion, and the slider is positioned by structural interference between the positioning member and the third engaging portion when the positioning member is in the first position.

In an embodiment of the invention, the positioning member has an elastic portion that abuts the third engaging portion when the positioning member is in the first position.

In an embodiment of the invention, the positioning member has a fourth engaging portion, and the fourth engaging portion is engaged with the third engaging portion when the positioning member is in the first position.

In an embodiment of the invention, the sliding member is adapted to slide along a sliding side To slide, the rotating shaft is adapted to pivot along a rotational axis, and the positioning member is adapted to move between a first position and a second position in a moving direction, the sliding direction being perpendicular to the rotational axis, the moving direction being parallel to the rotational axis.

In an embodiment of the invention, the electronic device is a computer, the first body is a host computer, and the second body is a computer screen.

Based on the above, in the pivot module of the present invention, the first engaging portion of the slider and the second engaging portion of the rotating shaft are in mesh with each other, and the positioning member is adapted to move to position the slider or release the slider. The user can drive the positioning member to release the sliding member to enable the sliding member and the rotating shaft to be freely actuated, so that the deployment angle of the second body can be easily adjusted according to the pivoting of the rotating shaft. When the user wants to fix the deployment angle of the second body, the slider can be driven by the actuator to position the slider to prevent the slider from acting with the rotating shaft, thereby firmly fixing the position of the second body. Accordingly, the pivot module does not need to be fixed by the torque provided by the torque component to fix the second body, so that the second body can be prevented from being pulled by the torque provided by the torque component, so as to improve the operation convenience of the electronic device. .

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

110‧‧‧First body

120‧‧‧Second body

130‧‧‧Pivot module

132, 232‧‧‧Sliding parts

132a‧‧‧First meshing

132b, 232b‧‧‧ third meshing

134‧‧‧ shaft

134a‧‧‧Second joint

134b‧‧‧Support

134c‧‧‧Fixed parts

136, 236‧‧‧ positioning parts

136a‧‧‧ recess

136b‧‧‧Flexible Department

138‧‧‧Actuator

138a‧‧‧ convex

139‧‧‧Guide

139a‧‧‧guide thread

236c‧‧‧4th meshing

A‧‧‧ rotational axis

D1‧‧‧ sliding direction

D2‧‧‧ moving direction

P1, P1’‧‧‧ first position

P2‧‧‧ second position

1 is a perspective view showing a part of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG.

Fig. 3A is an exploded view of the slider and the rotating shaft of Fig. 2;

Fig. 3B is an exploded view of the slider and the rotating shaft according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a top plan view of a portion of the pivot module of FIG. 3A.

5A and 5B are schematic views of the operation of the pivot module of Fig. 4.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG.

Figure 7 is a partial schematic view of a slider and a positioning member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a part of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the electronic device 100 of the present embodiment is, for example, a notebook computer and includes a first body 110 , a second body 120 , and a pivot module 130 . The first body 110 and the second body 120 are respectively a host computer and a display screen of the notebook computer and are pivotally connected to each other by the pivot module 130. In order to clearly illustrate the pivot module 130, FIG. 1 only shows a part of the components of the first body 110.

FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG. Fig. 3A is an exploded view of the slider and the rotating shaft of Fig. 2; 4 is a top plan view of a portion of the pivot module of FIG. 3A. Referring to FIG. 2 , FIG. 3A and FIG. 4 , the pivot module 130 includes a sliding member 132 , a rotating shaft 134 and a positioning member 136 . The slider 132 is slidably disposed on the first body 110 in the sliding direction D1 and has a first engaging portion 132a. The rotating shaft 134 is fixed to the second body 120 and pivotally connected to the first body 110 along the rotating axial direction A. The rotating shaft 134 has a second engaging portion 134a. The first engaging portion 132a is, for example, a rack, and the second engaging portion 134a is, for example. The gear is meshed with the first engaging portion 132a. Positioning member 136 (shown in Figure 4) along The moving direction D2 is movably disposed in the first body 110. The sliding direction D1 is, for example, perpendicular to the rotational axis A, and the moving direction D2 is, for example, parallel to the rotational axis A.

Fig. 3B is an exploded view of the slider and the rotating shaft according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3A, the rotating shaft 134 is provided with a supporting member 134b for supporting the rotating shaft 134, and a fixing member 134c for fixing to the first body 110 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, the rotating shaft 134 may not have the support member 134b and the fixing member 134c. The supporting member 134b and the fixing member 134c may be disposed on the first body 110 instead of the present invention.

5A and 5B are schematic views of the operation of the pivot module of Fig. 4. When the positioning member 136 is located at a first position P1 as shown in FIG. 4 and abuts against the sliding member 132, the positioning member 136 prevents the sliding member 132 from sliding and the rotating shaft 134 is between the first engaging portion 132a and the second engaging portion 134a. The structural interference is positioned. When the positioning member 136 moves to the second position P2 in the moving direction D2 as shown in FIG. 5A and away from the sliding member 132, the positioning member 136 releases the sliding member 132 and the rotating shaft 134 can be opposite to the first body 110 along the rotating axial direction A (painting 1 and 2) pivoting, as shown in FIG. 5B, the sliding member 132 is slid in the sliding direction D1 by the second engaging portion 134a, and the second body 120 is rotated relative to the rotating shaft 134. A body 110 is deployed or closed.

Under the above configuration, the user can drive the positioning member 136 to release the sliding member 132 to enable the sliding member 132 and the rotating shaft 134 to be freely actuated, so that the deployment angle of the second body 120 is easily changed by the pivoting of the rotating shaft 134. Adjustment. When the user wants to fix the deployment angle of the second body 120, the positioning member 136 can be driven to slide. The movable member 132 prevents the slider 132 from rotating with the rotating shaft 134, thereby firmly fixing the position of the second body 120. Accordingly, the pivot module 130 does not need to be fixed by the torque provided by the torque component to fix the second body 120. Therefore, the second body 120 can be prevented from being pulled by the torque provided by the torque component, so as to improve the operation of the electronic device 100. Convenience.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the electronic device of FIG. 1. FIG. Referring to FIG. 6 , the pivot module 130 of the present embodiment further includes an actuator 138 , such as a motor, disposed on the first body 110 and coupled to the positioning member 136 . The actuator 138 is used to drive the positioning member 136 to move between the first position P1 shown in FIG. 4 and the second position P2 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B.

In detail, the pivot module 130 includes a guiding member 139 disposed between the sliding member 132 and the actuator 138 and having a guiding thread 139a. The positioning member 136 is screwed to the guiding member 139 by the guiding thread 139a, and the actuator 138 is used to drive the positioning member 136 to rotate to move the positioning member 136 in the moving direction D2 by the guiding of the guiding thread 139a. The first position P1 shown in FIG. 4 is between the second position P2 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. The actuator 138 of the present embodiment has a convex portion 138a. The positioning member 136 has a concave portion 136a. The convex portion 138a of the actuator 138 extends into the concave portion 136a of the positioning member 136 to be adapted to drive the positioning member 136 to rotate. The portion 138a is, for example, a non-cylindrical body and the concave portion 136a is, for example, a non-circular hole having a shape corresponding to the non-cylindrical body, so that the convex portion 138a can drive the positioning member 136 to rotate. In addition, the convex portion 138a of the actuator 138 and the concave portion 136a of the positioning member 136 are designed to be relatively displaceable in the moving direction D2, and when the positioning member 136 is rotated by the convex portion 138a to guide When the guide thread 139a is guided to move in the moving direction D2, the convex portion 138a and the concave portion 136a are relatively moved in the moving direction D2 to allow the overall structure to be smoothly operated.

The user can trigger a button or sensor provided on the electronic device to control the actuation of the actuator 138 or otherwise control the actuation of the actuator 138, which is not limited by the present invention. Moreover, in other embodiments, the locator can be driven in place of the actuator 138 by a linkage lever or other suitable means.

In this embodiment, the slider 132 has a third engaging portion 132b, and the positioning member 136 has an elastic portion 136b, wherein the elastic portion 136b is made of rubber, for example. When the positioning member 136 is located at the first position P1 as shown in FIG. 4, the elastic portion 136b of the positioning member 136 is elastically deformed and abuts against the third engaging portion 132b of the sliding member 132, so that the sliding member 132 is supported by the positioning member 136. The elastic portion 136b is positioned to interfere with the structural interference between the third engaging portion 132b of the slider 132.

Figure 7 is a partial schematic view of a slider and a positioning member according to another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment shown in Fig. 7 differs from the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 in that the positioning member 236 does not have an elastic portion and has a fourth engaging portion 236c. When the positioning member 236 is located at the first position P1 ′ and abuts against the sliding member 232 , the fourth engaging portion 236 c of the positioning member 236 is engaged with the third engaging portion 232 b of the sliding member 232 , so that the sliding member 232 is disposed by the positioning member 236 . The fourth engaging portion 236c is positioned to interfere with the structural interference between the third engaging portion 232b of the slider 232.

In summary, in the pivot module of the present invention, the first engaging portion of the sliding member and the second engaging portion of the rotating shaft are engaged with each other, and the positioning member is adapted to move to position the sliding member or release the sliding member. The user can drive the positioning member to release the slider by the actuator. The slider and the rotating shaft can be freely actuated, so that the deployment angle of the second body is easily adjusted as the pivoting of the rotating shaft. When the user wants to fix the deployment angle of the second body, the slider can be driven by the actuator to position the slider to prevent the slider from acting with the rotating shaft, thereby firmly fixing the position of the second body. Accordingly, the pivot module does not need to be fixed by the torque provided by the torque component to fix the second body, so that the second body can be prevented from being pulled by the torque provided by the torque component, so as to improve the operation convenience of the electronic device. .

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

130‧‧‧Pivot module

132‧‧‧Sliding parts

132a‧‧‧First meshing

132b‧‧‧3rd meshing section

134‧‧‧ shaft

134a‧‧‧Second joint

136‧‧‧ positioning parts

136b‧‧‧Flexible Department

A‧‧‧ rotational axis

D1‧‧‧ sliding direction

D2‧‧‧ moving direction

P1‧‧‧ first position

Claims (18)

A pivoting module includes: a sliding member having a first engaging portion; a rotating shaft having a second engaging portion, wherein the second engaging portion is engaged with the first engaging portion; and a positioning member movably configured And a side of the sliding member, wherein when the positioning member is in a first position to abut the sliding member, the positioning member prevents the sliding member from sliding and the rotating shaft is engaged with the second engaging portion by the first engaging portion Positioned by structural interference between the portions, when the positioning member is moved to a second position away from the slider, the positioning member releases the slider and the shaft is pivotable relative to the slider and by the a second engaging portion drives the sliding member to slide; and an actuator coupled to the positioning member for driving the positioning member to move between the first position and the second position, wherein the sliding member is adapted to slide along Sliding in a direction, the rotating shaft is adapted to pivot along a rotational axis, and the positioning member is adapted to move between the first position and the second position in a moving direction, the sliding direction being perpendicular to the rotating axial direction, the moving The direction is parallel to the axis of rotation. The pivot module of claim 1, wherein the actuator is a motor. The pivot module of claim 1, wherein the first engaging portion is a rack and the second engaging portion is a gear. The pivot module as described in claim 1 further includes a guide And a guiding thread disposed between the sliding member and the actuator, wherein the positioning member is screwed to the guiding member by the guiding thread, and the actuator is configured to drive the positioning member to rotate The positioning member is moved between the first position and the second position by the guiding of the guiding thread. The pivoting module of claim 4, wherein the actuator has a convex portion, the positioning member has a concave portion, and the convex portion extends into the concave portion to be adapted to drive the positioning member to rotate. When the positioning member rotates to move in a moving direction by the guiding of the guiding thread, the convex portion and the concave portion relatively move in the moving direction. The pivot module of claim 1, wherein the sliding member has a third engaging portion, and the sliding member is engaged with the third by the positioning member when the positioning member is in the first position. Positioned by structural interference between the parts. The pivot module of claim 6, wherein the positioning member has an elastic portion that abuts the third engaging portion when the positioning member is in the first position. The pivot module of claim 6, wherein the positioning member has a fourth engaging portion that engages the third engaging portion when the positioning member is in the first position. An electronic device comprising: a first body; a second body; and a pivot module comprising: a sliding member disposed on the first body and having a first engaging portion; a rotating shaft fixed to the second body and pivoted to the first body, wherein the rotating shaft has a second engaging portion, the second engaging portion is engaged with the first engaging portion; and a positioning member is movably disposed on The first body, wherein when the positioning member is in a first position and abuts against the sliding member, the positioning member prevents the sliding member from sliding and the rotating shaft is between the first engaging portion and the second engaging portion The structural interference is positioned, and when the positioning member moves to a second position away from the sliding member, the positioning member releases the sliding member and the rotating shaft is pivotable relative to the first body by the second The engaging portion drives the sliding member to slide and expands or closes the second body relative to the first body, wherein the sliding member is adapted to slide in a sliding direction, and the rotating shaft is adapted to pivot along a rotating axis, the positioning The member is adapted to move between the first position and the second position in a direction of movement that is perpendicular to the axis of rotation that is parallel to the axis of rotation. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the first engaging portion is a rack and the second engaging portion is a gear. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the pivot module further comprises an actuator, the actuator is disposed on the first body and coupled to the positioning member, the actuator is configured to drive the The positioning member moves between the first position and the second position. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the actuator is a motor. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the pivot module further comprises a guiding member disposed between the sliding member and the actuator and having a guiding thread, The positioning member is screwed to the guiding member by the guiding thread, and the actuator is configured to drive the positioning member to rotate to move the positioning member to the first position by guiding the guiding thread Between the second positions. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the actuator has a convex portion, the positioning member has a concave portion, and the convex portion extends into the concave portion to be adapted to drive the positioning member to rotate, when the positioning member is When the rotation is moved in a moving direction by the guiding of the guiding thread, the convex portion and the concave portion relatively move in the moving direction. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the sliding member has a third engaging portion, and the sliding member passes the positioning member and the third engaging portion when the positioning member is in the first position. Positioned by structural interference. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the positioning member has an elastic portion that abuts the third engaging portion when the positioning member is in the first position. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the positioning member has a fourth engaging portion, and the fourth engaging portion is engaged with the third engaging portion when the positioning member is in the first position. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the electronic device is a computer, the first body is a host of the computer, and the second body is a screen of the computer.